Residents in Kingston prepare for the storm with sandbags
People in Jamaica are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which is forecast to unleash destructive winds and bring catastrophic flooding to the Caribbean nation in the coming hours.
Melissa was upgraded to a category five hurricane - the maximum strength - early on Monday, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
The authorities fear that Melissa, which has already been blamed for the deaths of four people on the island of Hispaniola, could become the strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica.
REUTERS/Gilbert Bellamy
Big waves were already breaking on the coast of Jamaica on Saturday, a storm surge is expected later on Monday and into Tuesday
The Jamaican government has ordered evacuations for parts of the capital, Kingston, and the entire island has been classed as "threatened".
An update from the NHC at 09:00GMT said that Melissa was about 130 miles (209km) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.
It has maximum sustained wind speeds of 160mph (260km/h) and could strengthen further in the next 12 to 24 hours, forecasters warned.
If it continues on the forecasted track, its core is expected "to move near or over Jamaica tonight and Tuesday, across south-eastern Cuba Tuesday night, and across the south-eastern Bahamas on Wednesday".
The storm is particularly slow moving, which makes it very dangerous in terms of expected rainfall amounts.
According to the NHC, 40 inches of rain (100cm) are possible in parts of Jamaica over the next four days.
REUTERS/Octavio Jones
Fishermen move a boat to higher ground in Port Royal
Forecasters warn that destructive winds and life-threatening storm surges are expected to hit Jamaica overnight or early on Tuesday.
Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered the immediate evacuation of several vulnerable communities across the island.
Officials also urged residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas to seek shelter in safer areas.
Jamaica's Minister of Local Government, Desmond McKenzie, told local media that all of the island's 881 shelters were open.
Orlando Barría/EPA/Shutterstock
Heavy rains brought by Hurricane Melissa flooded neighbourhoods in the Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic
At least three people are known to have died and hundreds of homes have been flooded in Haiti as Melissa brought torrential rainfall to the island of Hispaniola.
In the Dominican Republic, located on the eastern side of Hispaniola, one person also died.
Local media identified the victim as a 79-year-old man who had been swept away by floodwaters in the capital, Santo Domingo.
A 13-year-old has also been reported missing after being dragged away by strong currents as he was swimming in the sea.
Several people were rescued after being trapped in their cars by the rising floodwater.
Ten people accused of sexist cyber-bullying of the French president's wife, Brigitte Macron, are due to go on trial this week in Paris.
The defendants are accused of spreading unsubstantiated claims over her gender and sexuality, as well as making "malicious remarks" about the 24-year age gap between Brigitte and her husband, Emmanuel Macron.
If found guilty, the defendants face up to two years' imprisonment.
Among the ten people due to appear in the dock on Monday and Tuesday are an elected official, a gallery owner and a teacher, according to French media.
Two of them - self-styled independent journalist Natacha Rey and internet fortune-teller Amandine Roy – were found guilty of slander last year for claiming that France's first lady had never existed, and that her brother Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender and started using her name.
But a court of appeals later acquitted Rey and Roy on the grounds that their statements did not constitute defamation. Mrs Macron and her brother are appealing the decision.
A conspiracy theory centred around the notion that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman has been swirling since her husband won a first term in office in 2017.
The unsubstantiated claims over Mrs Macron's gender have been gaining ground in the US, mostly promoted by right-wing influencer Candace Owens.
Last July the Macrons filed a lawsuit against Owens, alleging that she "disregarded all credible evidence disproving her claim in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers".
Speaking to the BBC's Fame Under Fire podcast, the Macrons' lawyer in the case, Tom Clare, said that Brigitte Macron had found the claims "incredibly upsetting" and they were a "distraction" to the French president.
"It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself, to put this type of proof forward," he said.
Emmanuel Macron has said pursuing legal action against Owens was about "defending his honour" and that the influencer had peddled false information "with the aim of causing harm, in the service of an ideology and with established connections to far-right leaders."
Mrs Macron first met her now-husband when she was a teacher at his secondary school.
The couple ended up marrying in 2007, when Mr Macron was 29 and Mrs Macron was 54.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes because of the conflict in Sudan
The UN has called for safe passage for trapped civilians out of the Sudanese city of el-Fasher after paramilitary fighters announced they had seized control of the army's main base there.
Sudan's military has not acknowledged loss of the site, which would be a significant victory for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the ongoing civil war.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said the latest fighting marked a "terrible escalation" in the conflict, adding that the suffering of civilians was "unbearable", AFP news agency reports.
El-Fasher is the last army foothold in the vast western region of Darfur, and has been besieged by the RSF and its allies for 18 months.
Heavy fighting has been reported since Saturday after RSF fighters captured the home of the North Darfur governor.
Social media videos verified by the BBC now show RSF combatants celebrating the capture of the army's el-Fasher headquarters.
They claim to have seized full control of el-Fasher, but the army's local allies say fighting continues in parts of the city.
The group has been accused of targeting civilians in airstrikes and trapping nearly 250,000 people after encircling the city with an earth wall, leaving many on the brink of starvation.
The city is one of the worst battlegrounds of Sudan's civil war, leading the UN to call it an "epicentre of suffering".
The UN's top humanitarian official Tom Fletcher said he was deeply alarmed at the reports of civilian casualties.
"With fighters pushing further into the city and escape routes cut off, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified - shelled, starving, and without access to food, healthcare, or safety," Fletcher said in a statement.
"Civilians must be allowed safe passage and be able to access aid," he added.
The US has also called for safe passage and is trying to negotiate a ceasefire.
Taking el-Fasher would be a crucial comeback for the RSF after defeat in Khartoum.
But it is likely a sign that the civil war will continue, not end.
Sudan has been ravaged by conflict since 2023, after top commanders of the RSF and Sudanese army fell out and a vicious power struggle ensued.
More than 150,000 people have died across the country and about 12 million have fled their homes, creating one of the worst humanitarian crises.
The army controls most of the north and the east, with el-Fasher being until now the last major urban centre in Darfur still held by government forces and its allies.
The RSF controls almost all of Darfur and much of the neighbouring Kordofan region.
The group has previously said that it hopes to form a rival government in al-Fasher when it assumes complete control.
Additional reporting by Natasha Booty, Damian Zane, Danai Nesta Kupemba and Peter Mwai
Downing an Israeli drone is a rare action by the UN's peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as Unifil
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon says it shot down an Israeli drone that flew over a patrol operating in the south of the country on Sunday, in the latest incident involving the force and Israel's military.
Unifil said the drone was flying in an "aggressive manner" near the border town of Kfar Kila and that peacekeepers applied "necessary defensive countermeasures".
The Israeli military, however, said the drone was carrying out "routine intelligence-gathering activity".
"An initial inquiry suggests that Unifil forces stationed nearby deliberately fired at the drone and downed it. The drone's activity did not pose a threat to Unifil forces," spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani posted on X.
He said Israeli forces later dropped a grenade towards the area where the drone fell.
"It should be emphasised that no fire was directed at Unifil forces. The incident is being further reviewed through military coordination channels," he added.
Unifil said the grenade was dropped by another Israeli drone "close" to a patrol.
"Moments later, an Israeli tank fired a shot towards the peacekeepers. Fortunately, no injury or damage was caused to the Unifil peacekeepers and assets."
Despite a ceasefire that came into force last November that ended the war with the Lebanese movement Hezbollah, Israel has continued to fly drones over Lebanon and carry out air strikes on people and targets in Lebanon it says are linked to the group.
The military says it is acting to prevent Hezbollah from regrouping and rearming.
The UN and the Lebanese government say Israel's actions are a violation of the country's sovereignty and in breach of the ceasefire deal.
Downing an Israeli drone is a rare action by Unifil, which has been operating on Lebanon's southern border since 1978 and is set to begin a year-long withdrawal from the country at the end of 2026.
The last known instance occurred in October 2024, when a German naval vessel participating in Unifil intercepted and neutralised a drone off Lebanon's coast during the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Reuters
The Israeli military has intensified its attacks in Lebanon recently, as Hezbollah insists it will not disarm
The latest flare-up comes amid ongoing tension along the Israel-Lebanon border despite a ceasefire reached last year.
Under the agreement, Israeli troops were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah was to move its fighters north of the Litani River and dismantle its military infrastructure there - a plan the group and its allies strongly oppose.
Only the Lebanese army and Unifil are authorised to deploy armed personnel in the area south of the Litani, but Israel has maintained positions at several strategic border sites and has stepped up air strikes in recent weeks on what it said have been Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure, despite international and domestic pressure.
Lebanon faces an intense week of diplomatic activity aimed at reviving the truce and consolidating state authority in the south.
A new meeting of the US and French-led ceasefire monitoring mechanism - chaired by its recently appointed head, Gen Joseph Clearfield, and attended by US envoy Morgan Ortagus - is expected to take place alongside visits by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad.
US envoy Tom Barrack is also due to return to Beirut ahead of the arrival of incoming US Ambassador Michel Issa, who is set to take over the Lebanon portfolio next month.
Investors sent major global indexes higher on optimism that President Trump and China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, could reach a wider agreement this week.
Marian Cumpanasoiu, Alexandra Bugonea, Remus Stan (top row) Cataline Dobre and Cristian Urlateanu (bottom row)
A Romanian grooming gang led by a "winking, smirking pimp" have been jailed for raping and sexually abusing 10 women in flats across Dundee.
The four men and one woman plied their victims - aged between 16 and 30 - with drugs at various properties between 2021 and 2022.
Ringleader Marian Cumpanasoiu, 38, along with Remus Stan, 35, Cristian Urlateanu, 41, Catalin Dobre, 45, and Alexandra Bugonea, 35, were previously convicted of 30 charges at the High Court in Glasgow.
Cumpanasoiu was sentenced to 24 years, Urlateanu to 20 years, Stan to 12 years, Dobre to 10 years and Bugonea to eight years.
Judge Lord Scott told the gang they exacerbated the vulnerability of the young women.
He added: "I commend the women for taking back the control of their lives to the extent they have been able to do that."
The judge said it would be a matter for the Home Office but it was likely the gang would be deported on completion of their sentences.
Three gang members - Urlateanu, Dobre and Bugonea - fled the country but were traced and extradited back to Scotland from Belgium and the Czech Republic for their trial last December.
Jurors in the six-week trial heard harrowing testimony about how the gang preyed on the women, most of whom were already troubled by personal issues.
Cumpanasoiu was found guilty of 10 charges of rape, while Urlateanu was convicted of six rapes.
Compansiou was also convicted of a charge under the Human Trafficking Act, by forcing a woman into prostitution, and two charges of brothel keeping.
Stan was found guilty of four rapes and Dobre found guilty of two rapes.
Alexandra Bugonea was convicted of one rape and illegal sexual activity with another.
The rapes took place at properties in Dundee
Police Scotland uncovered the gang's activities during an operation focusing on the trafficking of woman to Dundee from eastern Europe to work as prostitutes.
But officers discovered vulnerable local women were also being groomed with gifts and drugs, including crack cocaine.
Some members of the gang worked in legitimate jobs as food delivery drivers, but were also grooming a succession of young women from the local area.
The women were forced to have sex with the gang, and encouraged to recruit friends to come to the properties with the promise of drugs.
Victims were plied with whisky and crack cocaine as well as being made to take part in "sex games".
The gang was led by Cumpanasoiu, who was described as a "winking, smirking pimp" who behaved with a "predatory nature" towards women.
Following the sentencing, the Crown Office released mobile phone footage of Cumpanasoiu in his car singing along to the 50 Cent song P.I.M.P.
One of the victims was forced into prostitution after Cumpanasoiu and Stan set up a profile of her on a website and drove her to meet men to have sex with.
This victim was said to have been sold a "pipe dream" of how she could make "lots of money" from selling her body.
But Cumpanasoiu was said to be angry at one stage at her not earning enough.
A video was found on his phone recording the victim climbing a tree.
Cumpanasoiu was said to have threatened: "Because you do not make money, you stay all day in the tree."
He and Stan also raped the woman.
Gang ringleader 'absolutely relentless'
Cumpanasoiu was described by one victim as "absolutely relentless" and another was left feeling "disgusted" by him.
Cumpanasoiu claimed he only gave another of the young women crack cocaine to be "polite".
Alexandra Bugonea, who was a prostitute in Dundee, admitted having "sex parties" at her flat and described them as having a "fun atmosphere".
But one victim described seeing Bugonea semi-naked and teaming up with her then-boyfriend Cristian Urlateanu to rape.
Quizzed about sexually assaulting any of the victims, Bugonea said: "I am a woman - why would I have a plan to rape her?"
She also denied women only visited due to their drug issues, claiming she believed they were "friends".
There was also testimony of how Urlateanu, Stan and Dobre raped another woman.
Ten people accused of sexist cyber-bullying of the French president's wife, Brigitte Macron, are due to go on trial this week in Paris.
The defendants are accused of spreading unsubstantiated claims over her gender and sexuality, as well as making "malicious remarks" about the 24-year age gap between Brigitte and her husband, Emmanuel Macron.
If found guilty, the defendants face up to two years' imprisonment.
Among the ten people due to appear in the dock on Monday and Tuesday are an elected official, a gallery owner and a teacher, according to French media.
Two of them - self-styled independent journalist Natacha Rey and internet fortune-teller Amandine Roy – were found guilty of slander last year for claiming that France's first lady had never existed, and that her brother Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender and started using her name.
But a court of appeals later acquitted Rey and Roy on the grounds that their statements did not constitute defamation. Mrs Macron and her brother are appealing the decision.
A conspiracy theory centred around the notion that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman has been swirling since her husband won a first term in office in 2017.
The unsubstantiated claims over Mrs Macron's gender have been gaining ground in the US, mostly promoted by right-wing influencer Candace Owens.
Last July the Macrons filed a lawsuit against Owens, alleging that she "disregarded all credible evidence disproving her claim in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers".
Speaking to the BBC's Fame Under Fire podcast, the Macrons' lawyer in the case, Tom Clare, said that Brigitte Macron had found the claims "incredibly upsetting" and they were a "distraction" to the French president.
"It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself, to put this type of proof forward," he said.
Emmanuel Macron has said pursuing legal action against Owens was about "defending his honour" and that the influencer had peddled false information "with the aim of causing harm, in the service of an ideology and with established connections to far-right leaders."
Mrs Macron first met her now-husband when she was a teacher at his secondary school.
The couple ended up marrying in 2007, when Mr Macron was 29 and Mrs Macron was 54.
The film told the story of the search for Richard III's remains in 2012
A university academic is to be awarded "substantial damages" after a court ruled the portrayal of him in a Steve Coogan film about the discovery of a Richard III's remains did have a defamatory meaning.
Richard Taylor sued the comedian, who wrote the film The Lost King, as well as his production company Baby Cow, and Pathe Production.
It was announced on Monday that Mr Taylor, who was unhappy about the way his character was portrayed, had been successful in his claim.
The film, which told the story of the search for the Plantagenet monarch under a Leicester council car park in 2012, will be changed and defamatory comments not repeated.
Mr Taylor launched High Court action claiming the film had made him appear "misogynistic" and "weasel-like".
Speaking to the BBC outside the Royal Courts of Justice following the court's decision, Mr Taylor said: "I'm really pleased that we have finally established that the film is a defamatory portrayal of me - baseless in its depiction of me and a distortion of the search for Richard III.
"And I don't let that detract from what was a fantastic piece of teamwork, a collaborative experience where university academics and amateurs came together to search for Richard III.
"But it's fantastic now, that we have established in court that The Lost King is a misleading, defamatory, untrue portrayal of what happened in Leicester back in back in 2012."
Supplied
Richard Taylor's lawyers described the settlement as a "defamation David and Goliath moment"
The Lost King focused on the role of historian Philippa Langley in the search, which involved archaeologists from the University of Leicester.
Mr Taylor was the deputy registrar of the University of Leicester at the time and was later played in the film by actor Lee Ingleby.
In June, Judge Jaron Lewis ruled the film portrayed Mr Taylor as having "knowingly misrepresented facts to the media and the public" about the discovery, and as being "smug, unduly dismissive and patronising", which could be defamatory.
The case was due to proceed to trial, but lawyers for Mr Taylor told a hearing on Monday that the parties had settled the claim.
'A real warning'
Daniel Jennings, defamation partner at Shakespeare Martineau, which represented Mr Taylor, described it as a "defamation David and Goliath moment".
He said: "Individuals often feel unable to speak up against large corporations and well-known personalities, but this win demonstrates that there is recourse when wrongs have been committed.
"We live in an era of documentaries, podcasts and very public investigative journalism and there's a growing trend for film and television productions to be labelled as 'true accounts' to grab audience attention and generate media buzz around new releases.
"Mr Taylor's win should act as a real warning for anything looking to use those tactics.
"The law is very clear and there are defined routes to compensation for individuals who find themselves misrepresented."
A joint statement from Pathe Productions, Baby Cow Productions and Steve Coogan added: "As a distributor and producer recognised for bringing complex, real-life stories to audiences, we are deeply aware of the responsibility that comes with such portrayals and approach each project with care, integrity, and a commitment to authenticity.
"We remain incredibly proud of this film and are pleased this matter has now been settled."
PA Media
Steve Coogan's lawyers previously said the film was not a literal portrayal of events
The military gay ban was repealed after a long campaign by a group of veterans called the Rank Outsiders
King Charles III will unveil a memorial to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender military personnel at his first official engagement in support of the LGBT+ community.
It was illegal to be gay in the British military until 2000, and those who were gay - or were perceived to be - faced intrusive investigations, dismissal and in some cases imprisonment.
The memorial, named "the open letter", is dedicated to people from the LGBT+ community now serving in the forces, as well as to mark the suffering of those who served under the ban.
Affected veterans say the monument signifies "closure" after decades of campaigning first to change the law, and then to push the government to make reparations.
The bronze sculpture, designed by Norfolk-based artist collective Abraxas Academy, will be officially unveiled today at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, the UK's national remembrance site.
It resembles a crumpled piece of paper containing words from personal letters which were used as evidence to incriminate people.
The LGBT+ Veterans Memorial is one of 49 recommendations made by The Etherton Review, an independent report commissioned by government which looked at the treatment of LGBT+ veterans who served under the ban.
The report's author, the late Lord Etherton, said it gave "shocking" evidence of a homophobic culture, bullying, and sexual assaults endured by those who were pursued under the ban, including Pádraigín Ní Rághillíg.
BBC / Ann Gannon
The King will visit the new memorial in his first official engagement in support of the LGBT+ community
Ms Rághillíg, 69, hadn't realised she was lesbian when she joined the Women's Royal Air Force in 1976, but began to understand her sexuality when she developed feelings for a female friend.
After divorcing her husband, she was posted to RAF Gibraltar where she worked as a telegraphist, a job which saw her work with morse code and given high level security clearance.
However, when a colleague saw her kissing a woman from the Women's Royal Navy (WRN) it signalled the end of nearly a decade of service.
She says she faced intrusive interrogations in which she was asked intimate questions about her sex life, was outed to friends and family, and lied to in an attempt to get her to give up the names of other gay personnel.
While waiting for repatriation back to the UK, Ms Rághillíg says she was sexually assaulted by a male colleague in an attempt to turn her straight.
She said: "He was touching my breasts and trying to put his hand down my trousers. He said: 'I'll sort you out'.
"Apparently there was some kind of sweepstake, some of the guys were betting on who could 'sort me out', which was terrifying."
Pádraigín Ní Rághillíg was kicked out of the RAF after being seen kissing a woman
Similar accounts of dozens of other LGBT+ veterans who were sexually assaulted after revealing their sexuality are well-documented in the Etherton Report.
Abraxas Academy, a collective of artists behind the LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial, were chosen from over 35 submissions by a panel made up of current and former LGBT+ personnel and groups including the Royal British Legion.
Nina Bilbey, design lead for the monument, told the BBC it was "humbling" to be involved in such an emotive project.
She said: "They've waited so long for some kind of recognition, we didn't want to let them down."
For Ms Rághillíg, the memorial signals "closure" for the treatment she endured in the name of the ban, and will also help ensure the ban and its effects are remembered for future generations.
"Given another 20 or 30 years, none of us will be left, but the memorial will be there and that's really important," she said.
Pádraigín Ní Rághillíg
Pádraigín was given high security clearance in her role as a telegraphist while stationed in Gibraltar
The memorial project was led by Fighting With Pride, an LGBT+ veterans support charity set up to campaign for justice and support those impacted by the ban.
Its chief executive, Peter Gibson said: "It's a deeply emotional moment, expressing in physical form that what happened to them should never have taken place."
Veterans impacted by the ban can apply for a financial redress payment of up to £70,000.
Mr Gibson said he hoped the memorial would encourage veterans who have not yet come forward to apply for reparations, or to get in touch with the charity for support.
"We know there are more veterans who suffered under the ban who are owed justice and reparations," he said.
Other measures already completed include pardons for criminal convictions, a special LGBT+ veterans ribbon for those affected by the ban and the return of medals and berets.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told the BBC it "deeply regrets" the treatment of those impacted by the ban, and that what they experienced was "not reflective of today's values or the inclusive culture of our armed forces".
It added: "We commend the courage of those who have shared their experiences, and we remain dedicated to ensuring all personnel feel valued, respected, and able to thrive in our armed forces."
Singer Katy Perry and former Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau appear to have confirmed their relationship after being photographed holding hands at an event in Paris.
Celebrity news site TMZ published the photographs and video footage of the pair walking hand-in-hand before getting into a car. Trudeau is seen helping the singer into the back seat as photographers called out.
Neither Perry nor Trudeau have publicly commented on their relationship. But speculation has been growing for weeks with multiple pictures of the two together.
Trudeau was seen attending Perry's concert earlier this year, fuelling rumours of a romance with the pop star.
The appearance in Paris coincided with Perry's 41st birthday over the weekend and appeared to mark their first public outing as a couple.
Representatives for Perry and Trudeau's Liberal party did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment.
During a recent tour in London, Perry did appear to allude to her relationship status.
After a fan proposed to her from the audience during a performance, the singer joked: "I wish you'd asked me 48 hours ago." This was just days after photographs of her and Trudeau were first published online.
Perry was previously in a long-term relationship with actor Orlando Bloom. The pair, who were together for a decade and share a daughter, separated over the summer.
Trudeau, who served as prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025, was previously married to Sophie Grégoire for 18 years before the couple split up in the summer of 2023. They share three children.
Kyle (not his real name) had been living in his three-bedroom house in Greater Manchester with his pregnant wife and two children for a few weeks when he first noticed the mould in the bedroom.
He wiped it away but when it returned quickly, he realised there was a serious problem.
"It spread through the bedrooms and all through the walls,” he recalls. “Plug sockets used to blow because the water had gotten into them.”
Clothes, toys, beds and televisions had to be thrown away.
The family ended up sleeping on the living room floor, Kyle recalls - even after his wife returned from hospital with their newborn after giving birth.
Kyle: “[Mould] spread all through the bedrooms, all through the walls - plug sockets used to blow because the water had got into them”
The landlord painted over the mould but failed to tackle the underlying problem, he claims.
Kyle, an admin worker, and his family had rented the property on the private market, but after seven months they moved out and now live in temporary accommodation.
“It was a nightmare. I didn't know what to do - I just felt like crying most of the time."
In Britain, problems with damp and mould are widespread. In all, 1.3 million dwellings in England - 5% of the total - had damp problems in one or more rooms in 2023-4, according to government figures released earlier this year.
Concerningly, more than a million children lived in damp households.
This is the case despite widespread public shock after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy from Rochdale, died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in 2020.
Getty Images
A coroner concluded that two-year-old Awaab died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in his Rochdale home
Awaab's father Faisal Abdullah had repeatedly raised the issue with the flat with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH). "They don't do anything for you - it's really devastating," he says.
"How - in the UK in 2020 - does a two-year-old child die from exposure to mould in his home?" Coroner Joanne Kearsley asked during the inquest.
Crucially, she asked the government to take action to prevent future deaths.
Now, five years on from Awaab’s death, the Coroner’s question prompts another.
That is: why - even now having seen the devastating consequences for that two-year-old boy - does mould remain a scourge in so many homes? And is enough being done in the UK to change that?
Awaab’s law and its limits
New legislation, designed to protect renters from hazards in their homes, was passed in July 2023 and is due to come in to effect this month. It’s known as Awaab’s law.
From 27 October, social landlords in England will be forced to fix damp and mould within strict timescales. Hazards like damp and mould must be inspected within 10 working days, and made safe within five, after the inspection.
More serious issues such as gas leaks, broken boilers - or when damp or mould are affecting a tenant's health - will need to be looked at within 24 hours.
If social landlords can't meet those deadlines, they will be obliged to offer alternative accommodation. And if they fail, tenants can take legal action against for breach of contract. They can also make a claim via a complaints procedure.
But for now, this legislation only applies to the social rented sector (such as council housing or homes rented from housing associations) - and not the 4.6 million households in England who rent privately - like Kyle and his family.
Though the government says it will be extended to the private rented sector, it has not yet set a date.
And so, while some have welcomed Awaab's law, other campaigners ask how effective it really will be, given the limitations.
Damp, mould and asthma
Hannah is a respiratory nurse in the North East of England - her patients have asthma flare ups, chest infections and other sorts of respiratory issues that lead to hospital admissions. In her view, asthma cases linked to mouldy homes are all too familiar.
"I work in fairly deprived areas and see a high number of patients whose symptoms are made worse, or even caused, by damp and mould in their homes," she says.
"We see the consequences every single day."
People living with mould are indeed more likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses, infections, allergies and asthma.
NHS England spent an estimated £1.4bn every year treating illnesses associated with living in cold or damp housing, according to a 2021 report from building research body BRE.
AFP via Getty Images
NHS England spent an estimated £1.4bn every year treating illnesses linked to living in cold or damp housing, a 2021 report found
The figures also verify that it’s an issue disproportionately affecting the less well-off: of the one million children living in damp properties, almost half (482,000) had a relatively low income.
Retirees are affected too - some 324,000 people were aged 65 or older.
And Awaab Ishak's death is a stark reminder of what's at stake.
Years of complaints: ‘Nothing was done’
Awaab had consistently suffered from cold and respiratory issues throughout his short life. After becoming short of breath, he went into respiratory and cardiac arrest and died in December 2020.
He was just two years old.
Christian Weaver, a barrister who represented Awaab Ishak's family during the inquest, describes the case as an "eye-opener" - in particular, hearing how persistently the family had tried to get help.
"They'd made complaints for years, an NHS health visitor had written to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, and even someone from the landlord's own team had visited the property - but nothing was done."
The Manchester North senior coroner said ventilation in the one-bedroom flat in which he lived had not been effective.
"This was a direct contributing factor in the development of the mould," Ms Kearsley said.
In response, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing says: "The most important thing to us is our customers live in safe, warm and comfortable homes.
”Over the last 18 months our teams have been working hard to ensure we are ready for the introduction of Awaab's Law, and we have reviewed and improved all our work processes and practices.
"We continue to urge all our customers to report any potential issue with damp, mould or condensation in their homes to us as soon as they can, so we can act quickly to investigate and resolve any issues."
RBH also says it is "already planning ahead for the expansion of the scope of Awaab's Law, beyond mould and damp, over the next two years".
’A national epidemic’
Mould will only grow if it is given moisture, nutrients and warmth - and so there are certain things tenants can do to help stop or slow the spread.
Not clothes inside, for instance, opening windows and not putting the heat on too high, explains Riina Rautemaa-Richardson, an expert in fungal infectious diseases at Manchester University.
But poor ventilation can also be caused by structural problems like roof leaks or poor drainage, she says - and landlords have a responsibility to address these root causes.
Rochdale Coroner's Office
Awaab Ishak's death prompted new legislation
Tackling the problem also requires something bigger too, many experts believe - that is, addressing underlying problems with the nation's housing stock.
"There is a national epidemic of damp and mould cases which has prevailed for many years," says Michael Parrett, a buildings pathology specialist.
The underlying problem, he believes, is that "dampness in buildings is misdiagnosed and at worst misunderstood".
Is the new law enough?
Housing Secretary Steve Reed believes the new law changes, which passed when the previous Conservative government was in office, will help.
"[It] will give tenants a stronger voice and force landlords to act urgently when lives are at risk, ensuring such tragedies are never repeated."
But some housing campaigners want firmer commitments around when Awaab's Law will extent to the private sector.
"We've heard nothing from the government about when it will apply to private renters," says Tom Darling, director of Renters Reform Coalition.
“That needs to happen urgently, and the protections be watertight."
Christian Weaver, a barrister who represented Awaab Ishak's family during the inquest, describes the case as an "eye-opener"
The government is expected to set out how it will apply to the private rented sector soon - they say they want to make it "fair, proportionate and effective for both tenants and landlords".
They will also need to decide whether small private landlords should be expected to respond as quickly as the likes of large social landlords.
But certain official figures suggest that it it’s private rental tenants who need the most protection.
According to the English Housing Survey, these homes are less likely to meet a "decent standard" than those that are socially owned.
In 2023, 3.8 million dwellings failed to meet this standard. Private rented dwellings were most likely to be classed as non-decent - in all 21% were.
People who rent part of their property from a social landlord under a shared ownership scheme will not be protected however.
Nonetheless, some welcome the new legislation as a step in the right direction.
Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, says Awaab's Law is a "vital way to improve housing conditions and strengthen residents' rights".
Landlords being set up to fail?
The changes will be implemented in phases, along with rules around other hazards, such as structural and electrical issues. But some warn that this all could end up putting the onus on landlords rather than tackling the root causes with the nation's housing stock.
"What it's going to do is put landlords under extreme pressure", says Michael Parrett. "They are stretched already. I think in some cases it will set up landlords to fail."
With councils and housing associations having to do repairs with such quick turnarounds, it will have a knock-on effect on the budgets of councils too, some of which are already on the brink of bankruptcy.
Cllr Tom Hunt of the Local Government Association argued: "Councils need sufficient funding to mitigate the existing pressures on housing stock so that they can put these new measures in place swiftly.”
Meanwhile Alistair Smyth, director of policy and research at the National Housing Federation (NHF), says that whilst NHF supports the principles of Awaab's law, it will be a "challenge" for its members to comply with.
But for those affected, including Awaab’s family, however, the most important thing is to bring an end to the mould problems - and end the risk of further fatalities. And fast, given how long this debate has already stretched on.
“A lot of people, they're not going go through the same [that] I went through,“ says Awaab’s father.
"What's truly heart-breaking is these are preventable deaths," adds Hannah, the nurse.
"We like to think we're forward-thinking in public health, but… there’s a huge gap between the policy and the reality.
“We’ve really let people down.”
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Commander Woods on the HMS Lancaster at South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean in 1996
A former Commander in the Royal Navy has spoken about how he had to hide his sexuality during the military's "gay ban", as a memorial is unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum in honour of him and his LGBT+ colleagues.
"I had to make up girlfriends and take female friends to functions just to have a cover story in place", said Roly Woods, who served in the Navy for 46 years.
Commander Woods, who lives in Hove, East Sussex, joined the Navy in 1978 and had to hide his sexuality until the Armed Forces' ban on homosexuality was lifted in January 2000.
The sculpture is the latest work of charity Fighting With Pride, which campaigns to give voice to veterans impacted by the ban.
George Carden/BBC
Commander Roly Woods is a Navy veteran and one of the people behind a new memorial for Armed Forces personnel from the LGBTQ+ community
"Even when I was in Exeter with my then partner, I would have two different routes for nights out," said Commander Woods.
"When my Navy pals came, I had my straight route. When I was out with gay friends it was another route. I just had to hope the two groups never met.
"One of the biggest issues was you couldn't be out to your close military friends - not because they would out you to the authorities, but because you didn't want to put them in the position of having to decide.
"If they didn't report you they'd be culpable themselves. It was a real negative and toxic atmosphere to work in."
Roly Woods
Commander Woods, second from left, welcoming Queen Elizabeth II on board the HMS Lancaster in Portsmouth in 1997
Commander Woods, 67, is part of the Fighting With Pride charity, which was started by veterans from the LGBT+ community in 2020.
Part of its work is helping make LGBT+ veterans aware of the Financial Recognition Scheme, a payment for those who were negatively affected by the ban on openly gay and bisexual people serving in the military.
Before the ban ended, people were subjected to interrogations, medical examinations, dismissal, loss of medals and other severe consequences including imprisonment.
Gemma Laister/BBC News
The bronze memorial takes pride of place in the UK's national remembrance site
Commander Woods came out to his senior Navy captain in 2003. He continued to serve until retiring in December last year.
"My captain turned out to be a real hero for me," he said.
"I'm used to operational stress on a ship but struggled with the emotional side [from a break up]. He astutely put it, saying 'operational stress is different from emotional stress'.
"I decided I need to grip this and bring people into my fold. I came out to people over the next year.
"Things have changed fundamentally in the Forces. It took a few years. One of the watershed moments I think was in 2006 - I was in charge of the military contingent for London Pride.
"We didn't know how it would go down with the crowds, if we'd get eggs and tomatoes thrown at us. But it was a resounding success, there was this massive roar from the crowd."
Baller League CEO Felix Starck set out clear and bold plans to "bring back football" when he started his UK version of the six-a-side competition in early 2025.
A quick glance across social media offers up polarising opinions on whether he delivered on that promise.
As the German entrepreneur sat pitchside at a sold-out O2 Arena for the season-concluding Final Four event, any online negativity was drowned out by thousands of screaming children and regular interjections from an air horn.
"Most people liked it that are in our audience group, maybe the 55-year-olds didn't like it so much, but the kids like it so what do we care about the 55-year-olds?" Starck told BBC Sport.
"What is there to hate? You don't need to watch it, you don't need to pay for it - it's free-to-air. I don't understand why people hate on something that they didn't lose a single minute or pound on."
The first season, which ran between March and June, was broadcast via Sky Sports as well as free-to-air platforms YouTube and Twitch.
There was an average of one million YouTube streams for each night of action, with 12 matchdays in all.
Baller League did not respond to BBC Sport's request for their viewing figures on Sky Sports.
Season two begins in the UK on 27 October with Sky set to continue their live coverage of the event.
Prior to the inaugural season, Starck spoke about wanting to "create an ecosystem" and there is evidence to suggest Baller League is on the right path.
After 11 matchdays at London's Copper Box Arena, those "kids" made their way into the O2 with loyalties already forged.
Swathes of the arena were filled with the green and yellow shirts of Yanited - a team managed by streamer AngryGinge - and homemade banners were draped over the railings to show support for Sharky's SDS FC.
At a time when Premier League ticket prices are rising, making it difficult for working class fans to regularly attend, Baller League can offer five-hour long matchdays for £14.75.
"We're trying to democratise football and make it accessible," Starck said.
"I talked to 100 fans at the final and 70 or 80% of them were at their first live football game - that just shows where we are in modern-day 11-a-side football. It's not accessible to the normal fans."
Starck has undeniably tapped into a gap in the market - blending the nation's favourite sport with entertainment.
"The biggest thing we try to measure is the quality on the pitch, if it keeps getting better then eyeballs [on the game] are going to grow, revenue is going to grow - everything is going to grow," Starck said.
"We are trying to bring football back to where it was, which was three kids on the street playing two against one - or five against five. Let's just play football and be connected to the base again. This is culture and sport, not a product."
Starck is so confident in the quality of the league he has assembled that he is prepared to donate "a million" to the youth team of any League One club if they can beat the likes of SDS FC or Yanited in a six-a-side game, claiming they would "get sent home".
'Room for improvement in every department'
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Troy Deeney (back centre) made a guest appearance for Ian Wright and Chloe Kelly's Wembley Rangers AFC
Baller League may be doing many things right. After starting out in Germany in 2023, it expanded to the UK and is preparing to launch in the USA.
But Starck conceded there is "room for improvement in every department".
Several incidents of violence marred the opening UK season, with manager AngryGinge left with scratch marks on his neck following a fight between players from SDS and Yanited during matchday seven.
The Yanited manager later said he had been "gripped up and kicked" while in the middle of a melee on the pitch.
That incident came a week after former Premier League defender Joleon Lescott, who appeared as a guest player, was almost wrestled over the advertising hoardings during an altercation with Wembley Rangers' Domingos Pires.
On matchday five, Troy Deeney was sent off for charging into a player from FC Rules the World with his forearm raised.
"We're a very soft society these days but this is sport, this is emotion," Starck said.
"If two roosters get in a room they are going to fight and we have 250 roosters, so they are going to fight.
"We had whole talks [after incidents], we don't discuss publicly what we did but we took measures to make sure things like this don't happen again."
Unlike the Premier League, Baller League is not regulated by a governing body and therefore sanctions are processed by its internal disciplinary commission.
Baller League took action after tensions boiled over again on the penultimate matchday of the regular season, when Trebol FC's Amine Sassi appeared to kick an opponent in the head as they lay on the floor - handing out a one-match suspension.
The Copper Box Arena in London will host 11 matchdays again for the second season of Baller League UK
There has been a reshuffle in the dugout for the second season, with some big-name managers dropping out.
Luis Figo was the manager of Trebol FC last season but did not turn up to any events, and the Ballon d'Or winner is not involved for the new campaign.
Former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who co-managed Deportrio with pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, has also left after only making a couple of appearances on the touchline as their team reached the semi-finals.
Actor Idris Elba has been confirmed as the manager of new team Rukkas FC, while former England striker Daniel Sturridge has joined Richards at Deportrio and Shearer has switched allegiance to join Ian Wright at Wembley Rangers.
Baller League has also introduced a three-tiered pay structure for players, with contracts ranging from £300 to £800 per game.
"We are culturally relevant after our first season in the UK. I heard people in the stadium when I went to an Arsenal game talking about Baller League," Starck said.
"It's a straw fire right now and the challenge is to collect enough firewood to turn this into a real fire that is sustainable, and not just hype.
"Anyone can do short-term hype, it's about being sustainable."
Paul Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state, has been declared the winner of Cameroon’s election, granting him an eighth term that could keep him in office until he is nearly 100.
The country’s constitutional council said Biya won 53.66% of the vote, while his former ally turned challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, got 35.19%.
Biya, 92, took office in 1982 and has held a tight grip on power ever since, doing away with the presidential term limit in 2008 and winning re-election by comfortable margins.
Cameroon has been on edge in recent weeks while the country waited for the official results. Four people were killed on Sunday in clashes between security forces and supporters of the opposition in the economic capital, Douala.
Tchiroma had claimed victory two days after the election, which took place on 12 October, publishing a tally that showed he had secured 54.8% of the votes, to Biya’s 31.3%. His team said his victory was based on results representing 80% of the electorate that they had collated.
He also called for protests if the constitutional council were to announce “falsified and distorted results”. The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement dismissed his claims, urging him to wait for the official results.
The situation has been particularly volatile in the northern city of Garoua, Tchiroma’s home town, , where youths on motorcycles gathered with crude weapons outside his residence in anticipation of a possible arrest.
There have also been protests in the capital, Yaoundé, as well as in neighbourhoods in other parts of Cameroon including Bafoussam and Douala, two of the country’s most populous cities. In a video posted on social media at the weekend, Tchiroma claimed security personnel had attempted to breach his residence to arrest him.
Biya is only the second head of state to lead Cameroon since independence from France in 1960. He has ruled with an iron fist, repressing all political and armed opposition, and holding on to power through social upheaval, economic disparity and separatist violence.
Fears are growing for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in El Fasher after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said it had captured the city, which it has been besieging for more than a year in Sudan’s civil war.
The group said on Sunday that it had seized control of the army’s main base in the city in Darfur, where famine was declared in a displacement camp last year. It then released a statement saying it had “extended control over the city of El Fasher from the grip of mercenaries and militias”.
The Popular Resistance, a local pro-army militia, responded on Sunday that the army was in “more fortified positions” and that residents were still “resisting in the face of terrorist militias”.
The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said he was “deeply alarmed” by reports of fighters pushing further into the city and cutting off escape routes, calling for an immediate ceasefire, access for humanitarian aid and safe passage for civilians who wanted to leave.
However, the RSF said it was committed to providing “safe corridors for all those who wish to move to other locations, as well as the necessary protection for all those in the city”.
Sudan has been torn apart by civil war since April 2023, when a power struggle between the military and the RSF descended into open warfare in the capital, Khartoum, and spread rapidly across the country.
Although Sudan’s army recaptured Khartoum in March 2025, enabling many residents to return, fighting has continued to rage in the country’s south and west. In May 2024, the RSF laid siege to El Fasher, in the western Darfur region.
A telecommunications blackout and Starlink satellite internet outages are preventing access to independent information from El Fasher.
If the RSF’s capture of the city is confirmed, it would mean the militia – led by the warlord Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti – controls all five of Darfur’s states. Analysts have warned that this could herald the effective partition of Sudan.
Dagalo was sworn in as head of the RSF’s parallel government in August, in the city of Nyala. The militia also increased the intensity of the siege of El Fasher.
This month, RSF drone and artillery strikes killed at least 60 people in a displacement shelter in the city.
Sudan’s army and the RSF have been accused of committing war crimes in the civil war. The RSF and allied militias have attacked non-Arab ethnic groups in Darfur, with fighters saying they would force women to have “Arab babies”, according to a UN report published in November 2024.
Investors sent major global indexes higher on optimism that President Trump and China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, could reach a wider agreement this week.
小马科斯补充道，“就在最近，我们的北方邻国宣布在马辛洛克浅滩（Bajo de Masinloc、中方称黄岩岛）或斯卡伯勒礁设立所谓的‘国家级自然保护区’。我们强烈抗议这一声明。马辛洛克浅滩是菲律宾长期以来不可分割的一部分，菲律宾对其拥有主权和管辖权。菲律宾同样拥有在其领土和相关海域设立环境保护区的专属权力”。
Prison governors in England and Wales will need to provide assurance that enhanced checks have been carried out when inmates are released from Monday.
The government has introduced the new mandatory procedures after a migrant was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday and then re-arrested.
Senior prison staff have told the BBC that the new checks will only add to their workload and put more pressure on a system that is already struggling to cope.
Justice Secretary David Lammy will outline the shape of an independent inquiry in Parliament on Monday into how asylum seeker Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released.
A prison officer has been suspended pending investigation but a senior prison staffer told BBC News the release was "down to a series of mistakes probably because staff are overworked and in short supply".
Kebatu was arrested in the Finsbury Park area of north London at 08:30 GMT on Sunday, bringing an end to a 48-hour manhunt that began after he was let go in error from prison.
Kebatu, who was sentenced last month for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping while living in an asylum hotel, was due to be deported when he was mistakenly set free by prison staff.
His initial arrest in July sparked protests outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, where he had been living since arriving in the UK on a small boat.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said an investigation was already under way, adding: "We must make sure this doesn't happen again."
Watch: Kebatu expected to be deported this week, Lammy says
A report from His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service said 262 prisoners in England and Wales were released in error between April 2024 and March 2025, up from 115 in the previous 12 months.
Asked why figures for wrongful releases were rising, Lammy, who is also deputy prime minister, said the Labour government "inherited a system that was collapsing [from the Conservatives]".
Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC on Sunday that the arrest was a "huge relief" and said Kebatu will "now be deported".
He added: "The justice secretary has ordered an investigation into how on earth it was that a dangerous man who was due for deportation was instead released onto our streets.
"That work is under way, we will be open and transparent with the public about what went wrong and what we're going to do about it."
He had earlier said the Prison Service was under enormous pressure "but even against that backdrop it doesn't explain or excuse the release of people on our streets who have no business being there".
Former Conservative Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said an inquiry was necessary in order "to learn lessons", and suggested the incident was symptomatic of wider problems with the prison system.
He told BBC Breakfast on Sunday: "The entire annual budget of the Ministry of Justice is spent by the Department for Work and Pensions in two weeks.
"My constant plea is to try to ensure the prison service gets the resources it requires to ensure we are recruiting and retaining people with skills and experience to make sure these problems don't happen."
The Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford, Marie Goldman, said Kebatu "must now be deported" and also pushed for a national inquiry.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the incident showed that the UK's "once-trusted institutions", including the police and prisons, were "disintegrating before our eyes".
Lando Norris said his dominant victory in the Mexico City Grand Prix has boosted his confidence that he can win his first world title this year.
The Briton's lights-to-flag victory put him into the championship lead for the first time since he lost it to McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri after the Australian's victory in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the fifth race of the season back in April.
More than that, though, it was confirmation of a strong run of form by Norris. He has clawed back 35 points on Piastri in the five races since he retired from the Dutch Grand Prix with a fuel-line failure at the end of August.
"It gives me confidence," said Norris. "One race performing well I don't think means anything. Two, three or four in a row does, so I think the last few months I've been good."
It was also a timely reminder that, with four races now remaining as the season approaches its climax, McLaren have been the team of the year, not Red Bull.
The talk coming into the weekend was all about the threat Max Verstappen posed after three victories and a second place in the past four races had seen the Dutchman cut Piastri's lead by 64 points.
It did not take a maths genius to work out that if Verstappen kept that up, he would win his fifth consecutive world title at the end of the season.
But, after a few races in which they felt they had underperformed as a team, Norris delivered a statement win for McLaren - and himself.
The 25-year-old was in total control of the weekend from the minute he hit the track for the start of second practice, having handed his car to Mexican Indycar driver Pato O'Ward for the first session on Friday as one of the team's mandatory rookie sessions.
He went on to take pole with one of the stand-out laps of the season. He brushed off the threat of the slipstream from those behind on the long run to the first corner and dodged the mayhem that unfolded behind.
The only time he lost the lead was as a result of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc cutting the third corner in the midst of his battle with team-mate Lewis Hamilton just behind Norris.
Once Leclerc had made amends for passing Norris illegally by letting the McLaren back past on the run to Turn Four, Norris disappeared into the distance.
"In a way, I think it's just my best performance through a whole weekend," added Norris. "You know, all my laps in qualifying, all my practice, all my race."
Norris has been through the mill this year. He started his campaign with a win in Australia, but Piastri then took control of the season and had won four races before Norris took a second.
Norris could not get on with the car, which was not giving him the feelings he needed to be quick. But, following a tweak to the front suspension for the Canadian Grand Prix in June, he has slowly been working his way back into it.
His win this weekend was his fourth since then. In that time, Piastri has taken only two - the last one in Zandvoort when Norris retired.
At the time, that looked like a body blow to Norris' hopes. Piastri had been so convincing, so solid, that making up that sort of margin looked impossible.
Norris said: "You put that behind you, right? You forget about that as much as you can, and you just focus on every race coming up.
"Every weekend's new and you have a fresh start to try new things and try to do better than before. And I feel like that's what I've done very well this weekend."
As Norris has found his form, Piastri started to go off the boil a little straight after Zandvoort. Norris was quicker in Italy. Piastri had a nightmare weekend in Baku, crashing three times and jumping the start.
There was a bit of controversy at the start in Singapore, when Norris barged past into third place. But Piastri has been simply slow over the past two races in the US and Mexico.
"The last few have been decent," said Norris. "But still a long way to go, so I just have to keep doing what I'm doing, keep trying to be consistent against some very quick guys around me. And, yeah, I think that'll be good.
"But it doesn't mean because I'm ahead or behind or whatever that I have to drive or do anything differently."
Norris admitted after the race in Mexico that there had been times earlier this year when he "certainly did" doubt himself.
"When the car was winning, and Oscar was winning, the last thing I could do was use the excuse that my car wasn't good enough," he said.
"I wasn't getting to grips and finding a way to make it work and I'm finding a better way to make it work now, so it's as simple as that."
It is now Piastri facing that feeling, after two difficult weekends during which he has been a fair way off the pace.
"For some reason, the last couple of weekends have required a very different way of driving," said Piastri.
"What's worked well for me in the last 19 races, I've needed something very different the last couple of weekends. Trying to wrap my head around why has been a bit of a struggle."
After qualifying 0.588 seconds and seven places behind Norris in Mexico, Piastri spent Saturday night deep in the data with his engineers, trying to come up with some answers.
The race was about trying to apply them - even if he was not able to get a definitive answer as to whether they had worked, given he spent most of it stuck behind other cars on his way to a fifth place that will have felt painful, but in reality amounted to a solid recovery and exercise in damage limitation.
"Ultimately today was about trying to experiment with some of those things," said Piastri. "Because driving the way I've had to drive these last couple of weekends is not particularly natural for me."
Team boss Andrea Stella had an explanation for Piastri's struggles.
He said that Norris excels in low-grip conditions, whereas Piastri's driving style tends more towards high-grip levels, and he pointed out that, in only his third season, Piastri still has things to learn about adapting to different conditions.
"In the final four races, no reason to think that one may favour one driver or the other," said Stella, pointing to Las Vegas as the most problematic potentially for the team.
"For Lando and Oscar, there's no problem in terms of track layout coming in the next four races. If anything, we need to make sure that from a McLaren point of view, we are in condition to extract the full performance that is available in the car, like we have been able to do here in Mexico.
"The confidence in terms of the championship is increased. It's increased because we have proven that we have a car that can win races and in some conditions can dominate races.
"This is the most important factor to put Lando and Oscar in condition to pursue the drivers' championship."
As for Verstappen, so buoyant after his win in Austin, he was feeling a lot more subdued after a messy first part of the race before fighting back to finish third behind Norris and Leclerc.
Verstappen's deficit to the championship leader has reduced - from 40 points to 36. But he had clearly found Norris' pace a chastening experience.
"I lost 10 [points] to Lando, if you look at it like that," said Verstappen. "I said before the weekend, everything needs to go perfect to win. And this weekend didn't go perfect. So that's your answer.
"It's going to be tough, but let's see what we can do in other tracks. I hope, of course, we won't experience a weekend like this again, but it still shows that we're not quick in every scenario. And that's what we need to understand a bit better."
Norris, though, sees it another way.
"Max has still caught me over the last - what? - six, seven weekends.
"I've been keeping my head down, keeping focus, doing my own thing, and that's all you can do. But every weekend's new, every weekend's different, and still a long way to go."
Sheffield Wednesday's joint administrator says they have "four or five" serious bidders and the club could have new owners by the end of the year.
Kris Wigfield is leading the search for new ownership after Dejphon Chansiri put the Championship club into administration on Friday.
Wigfield says the Owls have to remain on the market for 28 days under EFL rules and claims they have already received concrete interest.
He told BBC 5 Live's Wake Up to Money programme he hopes the new owners are in place to sign new players in the January transfer window.
Wigfield said: "As always, you get a lot of interested parties that probably aren't going to meet the criteria, but within the numerous inquiries we've had, we certainly think that there are already four or five interested parties that look like the real deal.
"There are two criteria that new owners basically need to satisfy to then open dialogue and there to be an opportunity where they can make an offer.
"The first thing is they need to show the administrators that they could make the football club viable. So they've got to show that they've got sufficient funds to be able to fund it for the next few years.
"And secondly, we have to be satisfied that they will pass the EFL fit and proper persons test, and if they can satisfy both of those, then we'll start talking to them seriously."
Wigfield hopes the sale process will move quickly and a group could have preferred-bidder status next month, with a view to completing the purchase of Wednesday before the end of the year.
"Due to EFL rules, we have to market the club for 28 days," he said. "So it'll be at least 28 days before we're getting close to a preferred-bidder status.
"So I'm hopeful that by the end of November, if things go well, we might know who's going to buy the football club.
"Then hopefully a deal can be concluded this calendar year, so that the new owner is in for... the January transfer window, if the EFL allows the new owner to buy players."
Wednesday fans returned in their thousands on Saturday after their previous boycott and a season's best crowd of 27,261 witnessed the 2-1 loss to Oxford at Hillsborough.
Wigfield says supporters have already spent more than £500,000 on tickets and in the club shop to keep the Owls going.
"We had no money to start with, but the fans have already put in over half a million pounds since Friday through buying tickets and merchandise," he added.
"So the response has been incredible, but we need to keep raising money to be able to pay the wages next Friday.
"So more tickets are going on sale for the next home games today and we need the fans to keep purchasing stuff. It's quite a difficult circumstance, but that's what we need."
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